Effect of human attachment style on horse behaviour and physiology during equine-assisted activities

H0: human attachment style (AS) will affect horse behaviour and heart rate during a 10-week equine-facilitated learning program. AS of at-risk youth was scored on anxiety and avoidance to determine category (low anxiety and avoidance = secure; low anxiety high avoidance = dismissing; high anxiety low avoidance = preoccupied; high anxiety and avoidance = fearful). Youth were paired for grooming sessions (G) and rode individually during arena sessions (A). Horse behaviours (oral, avoidance, affiliative) were captured by 0/1 interval sampling every 5sec for 2min windows during G and A. Horse heart rate (HR) was averaged in 5sec intervals. horse gait (halt (H), walk (W), back up (B)) was noted every 5sec during arena sessions. Adolescents’ AS affected horse affiliative behaviour during grooming, and horse heart rate and avoidance behaviour during riding. Over the 10-week program, therapy horses showed overall more affiliative behaviour and less variability in their stress response (heart rate and avoidance behaviours) toward fearful and preoccupied AS adolescents during grooming and riding.本研究的原假设（H0）为：人类依恋风格（attachment style, AS）会对10周马辅助学习项目（equine-facilitated learning program）中马匹的行为与心率产生影响。研究对高危青年的依恋风格通过焦虑与回避维度进行评分，以划分类型：低焦虑低回避=安全型（secure）；低焦虑高回避=疏离型（dismissing）；高焦虑低回避=痴迷型（preoccupied）；高焦虑高回避=恐惧型（fearful）。实验中将青少年配对开展梳毛训练环节（grooming sessions, G），并在场地训练环节（arena sessions, A）中单独骑行。马匹行为（包括啃咬、回避、亲和行为）采用每5秒0-1间隔抽样法，在梳毛与场地环节各采集2分钟时长的采样窗口数据。马匹心率（heart rate, HR）以5秒为间隔计算平均值；场地训练环节中，每5秒记录一次马匹步态：停步（halt, H）、行进（walk, W）、后退（back up, B）。实验结果显示：青少年的依恋风格会影响梳毛阶段马匹的亲和行为，以及骑行阶段马匹的心率与回避行为。在为期10周的项目周期内，治疗用马匹在梳毛与骑行环节中，面对恐惧型与痴迷型依恋风格的青少年时，整体展现出更多亲和行为，且应激反应（心率与回避行为）的变异性显著更低。